Montana, Patsy (1914-1996)
In 1935, Patsy Montana became a pioneer for women in country music when her recording of "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" sold one million copies, proving to the recording industry that female country singers could achieve commercial success. Featuring her exuberant yodel, the song reveals her desire to experience a cowboy's life firsthand, "to learn to rope and to ride" as his sweetheart and sidekick. When the record was released, Montana, born Ruby Blevins, was singing with a group known as the Prairie Ramblers on The National Barn Dance, a country radio show on Chicago's WLS. With "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," Montana established herself as a solo artist with a new non-traditional image; the independent cowgirl. Although her subsequent records were never as popular as her signature song, Montana's career as a performer and recording artist lasted for six decades.
Further Reading:
Bufwack, Mary A., and Robert K. Oermann. Finding Her Voice: The Saga of Women in Country Music. New York, Crown, 1993.
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